Great ending. After all the other big show finale failures, I din't expect much. I'm glad Vince Gilligan knocked it out of the park.

Amazed there is no hate here. Well, I guess we will see after the West Coast feed.

I hated on it a little bit. I actually found it a little flat, which is why I called it an epilogue. There was little building of tension or excitement throughout the episode and the further along it got, the more obvious things became that they would end the way everyone had been predicting and we'd really known since the starts of this 8 episode run.

It was a good episode - a mid-pack Breaking Bad episode. But finales are darn hard. So I think in general, they did a good job with the finale season - built up to an incredible episode in Ozymandias and then let us down with two nice wrap-up episodes.

But I really wanted to see Walt get his comeuppance and he didn't. I don't know, maybe he did when he lost his family and his money, but he still got to end things on his terms.

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But I really wanted to see Walt get his comeuppance and he didn't. I don't know, maybe he did when he lost his family and his money, but he still got to end things on his terms.

It kind of had the same feel to me as the ending of The Shield.

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.... Definitely a satisfying ending but far from perfect, as a story ending it was OK but the episode had plenty of flaws. I started watching it with a nervous, tense stomach but as it went on it became pretty clear how it was going to end and the tension reduced.

I was slightly annoyed by the "TV" stuff, the multiple camera angles during the opening scene in the car just got annoying. The whole "will he reach his keys" thing was distracting and unnecessary. Even the wooden beam thing, it was great when they revealed Walt but annoying when they kept it between Walt and Skyler - symbolism anyone? The parking the car thing also. A lot of this stuff stretched believability for me.

Somebody open a window ... I totally predicted that this would be the first one to stink up this thread with a big steaming turd review. What impossible standard can impress this guy?

This was the best writing and directing and acting and everything that anyone could hope for, and Gilligan's team delivered.

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1) I'm so glad that high-velocity large caliber rifle ammunition, the type of thing that's usually stopped by car doors and drywall in TV shows, blasted right through a building for a change. It was refreshing.

2) I think telling Lydia she was poisoned was a really bad idea. Rather than dying from "complications of the flu", she now knows Walt killed her, and has a little bit time remaining to spend her considerable fortune on hiring people to kill his wife and kids out of revenge.

3) Someone asked why Walt had to kill Lydia if he did not know Lydia sent goons to his house. I'm not sure if this was answered in the thread, but regardless of whether or not Walt knew about the goons, he knew that Skyler had seen Lydia and therefore would be a target after his death. Lydia doesn't like to leave witnesses. She had to go.

4) As I expected, he did not harm the Grey Matter folks. I was wrong though about the lack of credit given to Walt in the Grey Matter interview being what pushed him over the edge. Instead, it was seeing them give away the money that gave him the idea to use them as a conduit to funnel money to Flynne. We get to see the pragmatic side of Walt. Nice writing there.

5) I bet the grey matter folks burn Walt's money and give Flynne their own money regardless of Walt's wishes. Walt's "hit men" would have no way to know that they used their own money, that couple seemed to really detest the drug money, and they had plenty of wealth of their own to give away. This would be rather ironic, as it would mean everything Walt did was for nothing. It was his pride that prevented him from asking them for money in the first place.

Overall, I was happy with the finale. Compared to the letdowns that were the Dexter and Burn Notice finales, this was an absolute masterpiece.

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I'm still puzzled by this entire plan that was spawned by Charlie Rose.

I think we were all so diverted by the idea that the continued existence of blue meth triggered Walt that we missed the simple fact that was his primary takeaway from the spot- that Gretchen and Elliot could write a check for 28 million to fund a charity and no one would blink an eye.
Finding a way to move money has always been an issue on this show, and the Charlie Rose spot provided Walt with a solution for how to move his.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkeegan

That was quite the satisfying crazy laugh from Jesse while driving away. Perfect.

Except I was waiting for his car to get t-boned as he drove away... [/TCF "trope"]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zevida

I hated on it a little bit. I actually found it a little flat, which is why I called it an epilogue. There was little building of tension or excitement throughout the episode and the further along it got, the more obvious things became that they would end the way everyone had been predicting and we'd really known since the starts of this 8 episode run.

If I remember correctly, the penultimate episodes of each season have always been the high tension ones, and IMO rightly so. Audiences need closure and that can't always be done in the same ep as the slam bam action. We got to breathe, absorb the events, and then wind down with the fallout. It leaves a more satisfied feeling IMO.

"I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And, I was really... I was alive."
Great epitaph.
Well done.

So how did Walt know that was Lydia's table? Has she had that routine for years? I probably missed it in earlier seasons.

Towards the end, I was hoping/thinking Walt would go out by ODing on his Baby Blue.

Glad Grey matter was wrapped up in three minutes. I still wonder if Flynn will know the money was from his dad. G&E might convince him it's not. They probably put Walt's millions in hiding and never touch it. Hell, perhaps they burn it. I know they're scared and they'll gt the money to Flynn best they can, but just like anyone else they can't just drive millions to he bank and deposit it.

Walt mentioned that was the same table they met at every week. They were in business together for months (condensed into a montage) and Walt made ~$80 million with her over that time.

There was a great line during the scene with G&E (I will have to rewatch) - something about how this was their chance to make it right. My interpretation was that Walt was reminding them how they wronged him, and even set all of this in motion.

Loved it and, as others, "fully satisfied." For me, the best series ever.

But one minor question... how does knowing where Hank and Gomie's bodies are give Skylar any chance to "make a deal with the DEA"?

But I'm willing to let all of these little things go. Every moment of the show, things could have gone a different way. But, to steal a line from a show that was very unsatisfying, what happened, happened.

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2) I think telling Lydia she was poisoned was a really bad idea. Rather than dying from "complications of the flu", she now knows Walt killed her, and has a little bit time remaining to spend her considerable fortune on hiring people to kill his wife and kids out of revenge.

4) As I expected, he did not harm the Grey Matter folks. I was wrong though about the lack of credit given to Walt in the Grey Matter interview being what pushed him over the edge. Instead, it was seeing them give away the money that gave him the idea to use them as a conduit to funnel money to Flynne. We get to see the pragmatic side of Walt. Nice writing there.

5) I bet the grey matter folks burn Walt's money and give Flynne their own money regardless of Walt's wishes. Walt's "hit men" would have no way to know that they used their own money, that couple seemed to really detest the drug money, and they had plenty of wealth of their own to give away. This would be rather ironic, as it would mean everything Walt did was for nothing. It was his pride that prevented him from asking them for money in the first place.

Agree with all those.

Lydia only has "flu-like symptoms and a ton of cash" and will die. Skylar is really in jeopardy. He should have just let the phone ring, but his telling her was enjoyable.

One other thing I loved: Walt, alone in his completely trashed house, flashes back to the moment that would eventually bring him to his lowly fate -- Hank's braggadocio and teasing Walt about going with him on a ride-along to get some "real excitement" in his life.

My wife and I both loved the finale. Series finales are hard to get right because of the expectations of the viewers, but we were both satisfied with the ending. For all of Walt's flaws and evil deeds he managed to do what he wanted from the start. The journey wasn't quite what he expected.

But one minor question... how does knowing where Hank and Gomie's bodies are give Skylar any chance to "make a deal with the DEA"?

The DEA was after Heisenberg, not Skyler. They were holding her over a barrel to try to get her to give up any information that might lead them to him. Now they have Heisenberg. Skyler is still in trouble for laundering the money but she can try to use the location of the bodies as a bargaining chip. Cops are very big on giving their own proper burials.